For what it's worth, I also see that option but my i7-5960X definitely doesn't have QSV.

I think it is somewhat common for Intel chips to register a false positive for QSV when it really isn't there. Even my 10 year old Core Duo would show up in various places as being QuickSync capable, when of course it was not.

If indeed you have a live Intel encoder, it would show up something like this....

As background I looked at my intel laptop with an i7-8550U including intel 630 video adapter with an AMD Radeon 530 added for good measure.

This is all good except in Options / Preferences / File I/O / Hardware Decoder to Use: All possible encoders are offered. The selection is not limited to what is installed.

An interesting aside is that even though the AMD Radeon 530 is installed and selectable for decoding, it apparently gives a green screen when selected...

... while NVDEC is not installed, but if selected to decode, preview is fine and renders go to completion using some hardware, though not NVDEC.

I know that a user should know what hardware is installed in the machine. I do, but I can see how the uninitiated could trip over QSV renders being offered where no QSV hardware is available and options for decoding (NVDEC) offered and renders going to completion with no installed hardware. Then, there is the situation where the AMD Radeon 530 is installed, but not capable of decoding and produces a green screen in preview. Pick one:

1) This is fuzzy logic

2) This is funky logic

3) This stuff could be more elegant (a.k.a. idiot-proof)

4) All of the above

There's also that strangeness with intel QSV where earlier intel chips required a monitor to be plugged into the motherboard for it to work, although it's still visible to the operating system and software when there is no connected monitor, but it doesn't work

5. The technology will settle in, but not soon enough to keep from confusing everyone.

QSV is a GPU based technology, since the 6850k is a workstation CPU ONLY processor for the x99 chipset workstations it requieres a descrete gpu in any form. Because QSV is an Intel technology on their GPU only you cant really add it afterwards, maybe with the new upcoming standalone Intel graphiccards you can upgrade for QSV encoding.

And i never seen a X99 Mainboard with a HDMI or DP connection on it. since the x99 chipset itself has also no display output capabilities and also i dont know any 2011 socket CPU that has an intel HD 5xx or HD 6xx GPU built in, so that makes sense that those mainboards have no display connectors.

The X99 chipset 2011 Socket CPUs, and mostly the 6850k are great workstation CPUs but you can get with way less money a more capable CPU/MB combo for video editing, also X99 chipsets are really not an easy task for compatibility and had some strange issues with USB Devices because x99 needed different drivers etc. I had to sell mine and now have an 9900K with UHD 630 GPU integrated, and its really good if you dont want to spend money on an NVENC Nvidea GPU Renderer.

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/graphics/126790/intel-uhd-graphics-630.html

In reality you would be better of, for video editing with QSV support, with an i5 9400 than with an 6850k and the system would cost at least half the price.

And in Vegas i also have the option in the 'File I/O' menu to chose AMD UVD, but there is no AMD hardware in any shape or form in my computer. It reminds me of Vegas Pro 12+13, where there was also a big confusion about GPU encoding in the MainConcept codec to be selected but if you had not the right graphiccard that option was just useless and had 0 purpose.

@eikira

I’m not shopping for a processor. The reason for the thread is to point out that the context-sensitive render templates that Vegas Pro offers misses the mark by proposing QSV when none is available.

I’ve made a vow of celibacy to never buy a processor with video built-in for my primary workstation. I have QSV on my laptop.

@eikira

I’m not shopping for a processor. The reason for the thread is to point out that the context-sensitive render templates that Vegas Pro offers misses the mark by proposing QSV when none is available.

I’ve made a vow of celibacy to never buy a processor with video built-in for my primary workstation. I have QSV on my laptop.

Well yes, and i mentioned that the labeling and the options in VP are not new in the business of confusion in the realm of GPU avaible and its technologies to select etc. In other words, dont be to surprised with VP17 to be able to see selection options for stuff you dont even have in your system. Its at least since VP12 the case.

I’m rarely surprised anymore.

Thanks for the detailed information, @eikira, very helpful of you.

somehow i wish true CUDA enhanced encoding for MainConcept would come back again. it worked like a charm 8 years ago but then new vegas version came out, drivers issues, new windows version and it got lost (like in the thread linked by john). i mean CUDA was great faster rendering with a good clean codec like MainConcept faster than playbacktime.

(watch out, loud music)